Cycle campaigning

I know this Oliver.

I just don't think the campaign groups and their supporters are thinking too much about how they come across to other cyclists and the parties they are trying to get to listen.

I'm bringing my argument right back round to the beginning now (sorry). I see more near misses caused by poor cycling every day during rush hour than caused by drivers, lorries or layout yet so little discussion is around improving the cyclist. People keep telling me that the campaign groups are addressing this but part of that has to be pushing the message publically, even on forums like this if only to de-alienate the cylists that feel alienated to gain further support.

The perception is that the focus is all on the other road users. Reading this thread reinforces that perception for me.
I know my campaign group thinks about cyclist responsibility and how we are perceived.

Just a few weeks ago we organised an event where we told cyclists to slow right down on the Surrey Canal path as we'd received complaints from pedestrians about speeding cyclists which is clearly dangerous for cyclists and other path users.

However, the consensus from the group at the next meeting was that this kind of activity is probably not the best use of our time in the long term.

Sure, there are some poor cyclists out there but you could argue that when we focus on how much better we should all be, we are sending out the wrong messages to other roads users, planners and government - I don't know other campaign groups which criticise their own, and that is kind of how it felt when we did that particular campaign.

It's not cyclists that kill people, it's lorries and other motor vehicles after all.

My concern is that by focussing heavily on cyclist responsibility suggests that we need to be perfect when we cycle, that we must go a certain speed or even have a license or take a test before we are allowed on the road. Surely that would be far more alienating to people who wish to cycle but are worried that it is too dangerous?